Author Archives: Russ

One Good Crime Deserves Another

Posted on May 18, 2014 by Russ

I’ve written about Nifty Fifty’s before. It’s a Philadelphia-area chain featuring food themed from the 1950s. The owners of the chain used ideas from the 1850s to help their profitability: They skimmed cash, paid employees in both paychecks and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Tax Evasion | Tagged | 2 Comments

Deadlines for Us, But Not for Them (Part 2)

Posted on May 18, 2014 by Russ

Back in March I wrote about my client who received an IRS notice regarding his 2012 tax return. I had immediately sent a reply in to the IRS. The IRS received it and it went into the queue. In March, … Continue reading →

Posted in IRS | 1 Comment

Tax-Exempt Tax Filing Deadline Today

Posted on May 15, 2014 by Russ

Today, May 15th, is the day that calendar year tax-exempt organizations must file their Form 990 series tax returns. This includes the 990 postcard form, Form 990-EZ, Form 990-PF, and Form 990. What do you do if you’re not ready? … Continue reading →

Posted in IRS | Comments Off on Tax-Exempt Tax Filing Deadline Today

Florida Doctor Does Much Wrong on her Way to ClubFed

Posted on May 11, 2014 by Russ

Dr. Patricia Hough was a successful entrepreneur. She owned two medical schools in the Caribbean. That’s the good portion of this story. It’s what she did with the profits of the business (and the sale of the business)–or better put, … Continue reading →

Posted in Tax Fraud | 1 Comment

When Two Intelligent Individuals Reach the Opposite Conclusion…

Posted on May 11, 2014 by Russ

…You know there’s a problem. Welcome to the brave new world of signature documents. Jason Dinesen has a post where he believes that I am wrong about the conclusions I’ve drawn on signature documents. Jason might be right or I … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 1 Comment

A Better Idea on Identity Theft

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Russ

As I wrote yesterday, the IRS announced new rules on tax professionals regarding electronic filing. Based on my reading of these rules, the IRS should expect a significant increase in paper-filed returns. Why? Because the new rules likely violate state … Continue reading →

Posted in IRS | Tagged | 2 Comments

Yes, Mom, I Need to See Your ID

Posted on May 4, 2014 by Russ

UPDATE: The IRS released a new version of Publication 1345 on November 18th that clarified that a Form 8878 or 8879 signed in ink and hand delivered, faxed, mailed, emailed, or uploaded via a web portal is not an electronic … Continue reading →

Posted in IRS | Tagged , | 12 Comments

Once Again, Bring Me the Usual Suspects: 2014 Small Business Tax Index

Posted on May 1, 2014 by Russ

The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council recently released their “Small Business Tax Index 2014.” You may remember that last October I wrote about their “Small Business Policy Index 2013.” Congratulations are in order for my home state, the Silver State, … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Nevada | 1 Comment

The Scamsters Haven’t Stopped

Posted on May 1, 2014 by Russ

One of my clients called me first thing this morning (we’ll call him Joe from Richmond, Virginia; all names and cities have been changed to protect the innocent and guilty). Joe said he got a phone call from David. David … Continue reading →

Posted in IRS, Scams | Tagged | Comments Off on The Scamsters Haven’t Stopped

A Little Housekeeping

Posted on May 1, 2014 by Russ

We’re in the process of updating our website and the look of the blog. For now, we’re using the “default” WordPress format. This may change in the next few weeks as we make other (more important) changes.

Posted in Taxable Talk | Comments Off on A Little Housekeeping